Married to Chaos
by Mischief's Angel
Summary: All of Asgard sees the god of mischief as a traitor, all but one person. Cara, wife of Loki, mourns after her husband's alleged death. Things change, however, when Thor brings Loki back to Asgard. Loki is imprisoned, but Cara refuses to believe that he is beyond saving. Set after the Avengers. Loki x OC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Cara could feel a strong arm wrapped around her waist as she laid on her half of the bed. She turned to see the smiling face of her husband. He was always her favorite sight first thing in the morning. The sun beamed brightly through the flowing curtains of the balcony. A gentle morning breeze followed it.  
"Good Morning," she said happily.  
Her husband opened his mouth as if to reply, but she heard nothing. It looked like he was talking to her, but his voice was silent. He stopped and gave her a concerned look, when she didn't respond to him. She reached out to touch his face, but rather than felling him there, she could feel nothing. In the next moment he was gone, leaving her alone.

Cara woke up from the same dream that always haunted her. Rather than a sunlit room, she saw no light aside from the fire burning down in the fire place. The balcony doors were shut, as they often had been recently. She sat up and pulled the forest green, silk blankets up around her. The entire room was done in the same colors: green, gold, and black. This used to come as a great comfort to her, but now, she could barely stand the sight of it. She looked at the dying embers of the fire and thought.

It felt like an eternity since anyone else even walked near the room. Cara often wandered this wing of the palace alone. No one wanted any association with the wife of Loki, the god of mischief. To be in her position used to be an honor. She was a princess of Asgard. But now, she felt as thought she would always be the wife of a traitor. Loki had betrayed his family in an attempt to overthrow his brother. In doing so, he had fallen, to what was assumed to be, his death. It was difficult to say why he had betrayed the throne, but most thought that he had simply lost his mind and that Asgard was better with him gone. Cara knew better. He had always been in pain around his family. He always tried every way he could to fit in, but was broken down when he was still unaccepted. At first Cara always had thoughts of: "Why did he do this?" and "Why did he leave me?" But over time, she grew tired of the same questions.

She stood from the bed and walked to the large mirror mounted above an unused dressing table. She could see the spark of the embers reflected in an object that sat upon the table. Loki's helmet was found on the bifrost after he fell into the darkness below it. The headpiece was cracked and the gold was tarnished, but she felt that it was the only part of him that was left. It still held his status as a prince, even when he himself didn't. She lightly ran her fingers over the armor and sighed. Loki had always been a trickster and had a habit of disappearing and coming back; this time, however, seemed different.

There was an abundance of activity coming from outside, so Cara hurried to the balcony and threw the doors open. The noises came from people chattering and looking Northward. As usual, those that noticed Cara quickly looked away and grew quiet. Cara ignored this and cast her gaze to the north. At the sight of the shattered bifrost stood Asgard's finest warriors and even the All-father himself. They all seemed prepared for a fight of some caliber. They were a remarkable distance away, but Odin's grim look of disappointment could be seen from anywhere in the nine realms. This proved to be an ill sign. Odin lifted his staff and slammed the bottom of it into the bridge. There was a flash of light that seemed to even drain precious life from Odin. A guard stood by and kept the weary king from falling. Collective gasps were heard as the warriors all headed toward the palace. Cara silently rushed down to the main hall of the palace and waited. She stayed in the shadows of the room, hoping to go unnoticed. There, she waited. The warriors, with no subtlety in the least, burst through the doors following a very unhappy Odin. In the middle of the commotion stood Prince Thor and….could it be?

"Loki…" Cara gasped.


	2. Chapter 2

**A HUGE thank you to all of my lovely followers! I'm very sorry that it took me so long to update the story. Please Read and Review! I LOVE Comments, so tell me what you think!**

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Loki stood in the shadow of his brother, with his hands chained and his mouth muzzled by a Midgardian contraption. A bitter look of anger and defeat festered in his penetrating stare. Cara, having experienced this look before, avoided being noticed by him entirely. His gaze all but burned a hole through Thor, the "Golden Prince of Asgard". Thor led his brother by the arm as he would a stubborn child, and Loki had no choice but to comply. Cara quickly retreated from the room to stay out of sight. She would wait and find out more about the situation, before she would step in.

A feast was held in honor of Thor. He had saved the realm of Midgard from a war, caused by Loki. The warriors of Asgard saw this as a reason to celebrate the Golden Prince. Cara detested the idea, for she knew they would also make a mockery of Loki, given the chance. However, as the wife of the trickster, she was expected to make an appearance. She had bared these foolish feasts before, but was certain that Loki's return would cause some sense of turmoil this particular evening. There was no doubt that all the nobles of Asgard would be in attendance. All save for, perhaps, the Queen. Lady Frigga had always been close to the youngest, trickster prince and his death was devastating for her. However, his betrayal could be far more painful for her to endure. No one expected to see her for some time yet.

Cara quickly readied herself for the dinner. She elected not to wear green, as she usually did, for fear that Loki's color would offend the warriors present. She donned a royal blue gown instead, and pulled her golden culrs up into a bun. She took a last look at herself in the mirror and breathed deeply. She knew in her heart that the events following Loki's return would be among the hardest that she'd ever faced. She left her chamber with a quick glance over her shoulder, and made her way down to the large dining hall.

The sounds of music, talking, and laughter filled the halls leading to the hall. Cara remained silent in the midst of the commotion as she entered the room and took her seat at the table. No one noticed her presence, but this was nothing new. All seemed ordinary until a large group of Asgardians moved from Cara's sight. She finally noticed that Loki had been chained up between two of the pillars in the hall and there he stood, being mocked and tormented by these brutes that Asgard labeled their "Champions". The very idea of such a display degusted and infuriated Cara! But, once again, there was very little she could do. She observed quietly, which was the only thing that could be done at the moment. There were four guards positioned around the mischief god, as a precaution if the chains weren't enough. Warriors came over to look at him as though he were a caged animal on display. The humiliation of the situation didn't seem to phase Loki. His piercing gaze was fixed on his "brother", who sat at the head of the table rather quietly.

Later on in the evening, Thor stood from the table and walked over to his once-brother. Loki had since fallen down on his knees and stayed there. Thor knelt down to be eye level with him. He gave Loki a look of sincerity.  
"I never wished it to be this way, brother," Thor said quietly, "And it doesn't have to stay like this. There is still hope…"  
Loki sneered from under the muzzle that he still wore. The sneer then formed into a menacing, yet disgusted laughter. He stood and pulled at the chains that held his arms, as if to try and reach Thor. The guard saw this as an attempt to escape from the chains, and Loki was abruptly struck in the head with the hilt of a sword. The blow knocked him back to his knees and caused him to release a loud grunt. He went back to glaring at Thor through the blood that now dripped down his forehead, from the new gash.

Cara could no longer sit aside and watch. She stood from the table and swiftly yet elegantly crossed the hall to Loki. Thor had stood and now matched his brother's glare. Cara went over to Loki, but Thor stopped her.  
"Leave him," Thor sighed, "He is truly lost now."  
"When I want your opinion on the matter of my own husband, I will inform you!" Cara replied firmly, pushing past Thor. Cara knelt down to sit in front of Loki. He didn't look at all like she remembered. His face was sharper and far more stern than she had ever seen. His hair was longer, and fell in a tangled mess. His face was marred with cuts and bruises. All of the sense of happiness and innocence in his eyes had faded into hatred and malice. However, Cara saw in his eyes, something that seemed familiar. Some small spark that resembled the prince that she had lost. She woke from her thoughts to realize that Loki's glare had moved to meet her gaze. Gently, she reached up and removed the metal muzzle that covered his mouth. This revealed more cuts that were spread out over his chin and lips. A louder, still menacing laugh fell from his mouth.  
"Loki." Cara said softly, as she reached her hand to the side of his face. He jerked away from her touch as though it burned him.  
"Don't. Touch me." he snarled, when she seemed surprised.  
"It's going to be alright," she said in a fair and comforting tone.  
For a brief moment, a look of confusion and sadness appeared on his face. Just as soon as it appeared, the look was gone. The laughter returned.  
"Alright?! You think there's a way for me to escape this, don't you?!" he laughed evilly, "There is no way out! Loki is already dead!"  
He jerked toward her and the guards responded with another violent blow, to the face this time. He continued to laugh as blood dripped, like venom, from his mouth. Cara stood back a few steps. Loki just began to yell and curse at the Asgardians. One of he guards struck one last blow, and it knocked him out of consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone. Mischief's Angel here. So sorry that it took me forever to post another chapter. I got caught up in other projects and such. So, Finally, here's the next part. Please Read and Review. Thanks!**

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"Allfather! I must speak with you!" Cara insisted bursting in to the golden throne room of Asgard. There King Odin was speaking to his wife and Thor. It seemed very important, but Cara would not think twice about interrupting if she didn't find the cause important. She now had the surprised attention of the queen, but Thor and King Odin made no move to realize she was even there. The queen attempted to get their attention on Cara's behalf, but it was no use. Cara was already fuming with anger, and this merely added to that.

"Where did you put him!?" she demanded, her words echoing through the halls.

"That is no concern of yours," was the king's response.

"You should have considered that before arranging the wedding. He is my husband. It is now my concern!" Cara boldly protested, "Where. Is. Loki."

King Odin's temper was legendary, but he never yet found it in him to be cruel to the only woman in Asgard that would accept marriage to Loki. She was always good to the family. He dismissed the issue and continued talking to Thor. Cara held her fists down at her sides and stormed out of the hall. She was always very calm, but when it came to the mistreatment of Loki, she would show Odin that her temper, too, was dangerous. She shoved past the guards and continued on. Loki was a prisoner, and a very dangerous one at that, so they would take him somewhere secure. She truly never needed to ask Odin for anything but permission to see Loki. Now, she did not care whether or not the king would permit it. She was going!

Cara knew that he would be dragged off and placed into the most secure prisons in all of Asgard. Secure or not, she would find a way in their to speak to him. Sure, she may not be as strong as other Asgardians, but she was never one to give up on anything….or anyone! The golden halls transitioned into cold, grey stone as Cara descended the many staircases. The heart of the dungeon is said to be the most secure place in the nine realms, but there was always a worry that the Master of Mischief could escape even that. She recognized two of the guards from the banquet. They now stood outside the holding cell. They stood silent and unmoving, like statues with stern faces. Cara walked up to them and waited. After a moment, she found her voice again.

"I will see him," she ordered flatly.

After a moment, the guards forced open the heavy iron and stone door. It took the strength of both to do so. Inside was a long dark hall with four guards positioned just in the door. At the end of the hall, the former prince of Asgard kneeled. His arms were chained against the wall, to prevent him from moving. He hung there all but lifeless, for the guard's blow still left him unconscious. Cara walked over to him, picked up a basin of dirty water that was left there and threw the water onto the prisoner. Loki coughed and shook his head in an attempt to wake up. He looked up with a glare at Cara, who proudly held the empty basin in her hand.

"Good morning," she smirked.

Her smirk nearly matched his own, when it came to stirring trouble.

"Are you mad?!" Loki snarled, "You dare come down here? For what…A Visit?!"

"No," Cara stated, "I am not supposed to be down here at all. The Allfather forbid anyone from visiting you. That never seemed to stop me before though, did it?"

Loki opened his mouth again, presumably to throw more insults. Cara silenced him before he could speak.

"Don't!" Cara ordered, "I have always listened to your rants, but it is my turn now! You will listen to me! Yes?"

Loki's face furrowed in confusion, but he nodded 'yes'.

"Good. Pay attention, because I will only say this once! I want to fix this! You messed up…again! And I want to fix it. First, there is something that I need to know! And I don't fancy being fed lie, so you will tell me the truth!"

Loki nodded reluctantly. The truth couldn't possibly hurt him anymore than his punishment would. He braced himself for the difficult question.

"Why?"

"Why what?" he smirked.

"You had everything! Why would you throw it away?! You had intelligence, strength, power, you were the prince of the greatest kingdom ever built, you had friends, you had a family that loved you!"

"Loved?! They used me! I was never in that family! I was just an excuse!" Loki lashed out.

He tried to move his arms, but the chains stopped his efforts.

"You had a wife that loved you!" Cara said in all but an angry scream, "She still loves you! Why would you give all of that up?! Why?!"

Loki stayed there silently and hung his head down. There was a long pause before laughter once again echoed through the hall. This was a reoccurring sound recently.

"I gave nothing up! It was taken from me!" Loki sneered.

"Taken?! Listen to yourself! Nothing was taken until you tried to kill your own brother! You robbed yourself of all of this. Now tell me why!" Cara shouted.

"That oaf is not my brother! He never was!"

"Answer me!" she shouted so abruptly that Loki was once again stricken silent, "I thought you were dead! Why did you leave me?!"

She waited for some time, but there was no answer. She just continued to look down on the bloodied face of Asgard's traitor.

"You cannot save me…" Loki stated as Cara walked back down the hall.

"I can do one thing to save you, that you never did for yourself," she answered over her shoulder.

"And what, pray tell, might that be?" Loki almost taunted.

"I can try."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, everyone! Sorry that I haven't updated in a while. Anyway, here's the next segment.**

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The days in Asgard's prisons always seemed to blur together for Loki, but to his reckoning, it was only two days until Cara came to visit him again. The guard had once again placed the metal muzzle over his mouth. Something about the constant yelling and taunting irritated the prison guards greatly.

Cara walked in calmly, carrying a bowl of water. She held the bowl with one arm and had a cloth draped over the other. The silent woman took her seat in front of where Loki knelt. She took the water and the cloth and began to wash dried blood and remnants of battle from Loki's face. She was tremendously careful not to irritate any cuts that he still had, save for one on the bridge of his nose. She applied extra pressure to that when Loki started grumbling. She was perfectly composed, as she would normally be in Asgard's courts. This, however, was odd. She never hid her intentions or thoughts so well from her husband. She, once again, removed the metal piec from his mouth and set it aside.

"I assumed my disgust at your touching me would have been implied," Loki remarked.

No answer.

"That's odd. You won't speak, nor look me in the eyes," he noted, "You've never hidden your intentions from me before."

"Until recently, I haven't needed to," Cara noted flatly.

Cara brushed stray hair out of Loki's face, as to restore some order to his appearance.

"Putting me back together for a trial then?"

"Not this time," Cara stated, "This time there will be no trial for you. No chance of escaping this. There is but one thing standing between you and a life in this prison. And everyday, I wonder why I still stand there."

"You no longer want to 'fix' me?" Loki laughed.

"You deserve to be here. To rot in a cell as the Nine Realms forget that you ever existed. You deserve to die here."

"Then why won't you allow it," he inquired.

"Because I am not like them…the other Asgardians. I can't forget. It's too late for me to hope to let go."

Cara went silent and continued to remove the past from the trickster's face. It was clear from his features that he hadn't slept in days….perhaps weeks. Cara wanted nothing more than to erase what had happened and let Loki come home. The others would never accept Loki back into Asgard, but that didn't matter. He had never truly fit to begin with. That had never mattered to him. He always seemed content with only Cara by his side. What had changed?

"You know that they cannot hold me here…not for long," Loki sneered.

"I know," Cara said, almost snickering, "But as long as they do, you will be truly alone."

Cara placed a kiss on the prince's lips and left, as quietly as she had come in.

Months past and Loki remained imprisoned in Asgard. He had given up on his stubborn drive. With no sunlight and a very poor excuse for food, the once great god resembled little more than a ghost, lingering on as though it were trapped.

The cell door flew open with a great booming noise. An angry tension suddenly filled the prison.

"Good evening, brother," Loki chuckled, "It is evening, isn't it?"

Thor stood silently by the entrance, as Cara appeared from behind him.

"Come back have we?" Loki taunted.

The rude laughter went silent when Cara held up a golden key.

"What is that?" Loki asked, genuinely wanting to know.

"A bargain," Cara said, "This will release you from your prison."

"And what, pray tell, must I do to acquire it," Loki asked skeptically.

"Behave."

"Why would Odin ever agree to release me on 'good behavior'?!" Loki laughed menacingly.

"He didn't," Cara smiled triumphantly, "So, you're the Queen and I talked him into it. We give you more credit than Thor and Odin."

"True enough," Loki noted with a confused tone, "but why would the Queen help your little cause."

"Because you're her son!" Cara exclaimed, growing tired of this game, "We convinced Odin that a prison isn't the best place to help your current…'damaged mental state'."

"The insanity plea?! Have I been reduced to this?!"

"Hey, it works and it gets you out of here!" Cara grumbled.

"Fair enough."

Cara walked forward and unlocked the chains that bound Loki to the prison. Thor stood ready, as though excepting Loki to ruin his only chance of redemption. Loki stood slowly, cringing while doing so. Cara took his arm, but he shook off her grip. He followed Thor out of the dungeons and Cara followed behind them.

"Honestly, you people have too much faith in me," Loki muttered to himself.


	5. Chapter 5

Golden doors opened to reveal the palace dining hall. It was empty aside from a few servants preparing a few places at on of the tables. There were two seats prepared around a large spread of food. Before they entered the room, Thor grabbed Loki's shoulder and forced Loki to look up at him.

"You will do as Cara says!" Thor demanded.

"As you wish," Loki sighed, seeing no other option.

With that, Thor retreated out of the dining hall and the door was shut behind him.

"Lunch?" Cara offered sweetly, gently taking Loki's hand.

"Not hungry!" Loki snapped, pulling his hand away from her.

"You look as though you haven't seen good food in years. Please, eat!" Cara pleaded kindly.

Loki walked over to the table and took his place at one of the two seats. He wasted no time getting the food and wine that he wanted, from the selection that was set out. He waved his hand toward one of the wine glasses. When it didn't move, he looked at it and his brow furrowed.

"That's odd," he remarked.

"That's the catch…" Cara sighed, sitting in the other seat, "In order for Odin to agree to your release, he had to make sure that you wouldn't cause trouble."

"And?!"

"He took your power away…" Cara said nervously.

"I hate it when he does that!" Loki shouted, slamming a fist into the table.

The movement made Cara jump in her seat. Loki just went back to his meal, saying no more about the matter. Cara just sat quietly, deciding to say nothing more at all.

It wasn't long before Loki decided that he was finished with his meal. He glanced over at Cara and noticed that she still had a full plate. She simply used a fork to pick at her food nervously.

"I know you are not fond of pheasant, but you have always had a better appetite than this," he noted, "Something is bothering you."

Cara said nothing. She just signaled for the servants to come back and clear away the dishes.

"Tell me," Loki said, almost in an order.

"I haven't eaten well," Cara stated.

"Since when?!"

"Since you died! Now, can we move on?!"

Cara quickly stood from the table and walked toward the door. Loki followed her at a distance.

Loki watched the young woman as she ghosted through the halls of the palace. He could tell that she was used to remaining like this: unseen and unheard. Loki had to admit to himself that she looked beautiful in the golden halls. It was a sight that he had long forgotten, and one that he didn't realize he missed. A faint memory appeared in his mind.

The Princes of Asgard had just returned from another victory. What they had accomplished, he could no longer remember. The one vivid memory was his new wife coming to greet him. Thor had gone off with the other warriors, and had already begun sharing tales from the journey. Loki turned to see a young Cara running to him with a smile on her face.

"Loki!" she had called out happily before running right into his arms.

"Did you miss me, Darling?" he laughed, holding her closely.

"Terribly!" she giggled happily.

The memory quickly faded out of his mind, and Loki saw Cara wistfully staring out of one of the palace windows up ahead of him.

"Do you still smile like you did?" he asked, rather coldly.

"Not anymore." she said over her shoulder, as she continued toward her destination.

Loki continued to silently follow. There was no one else passing through the great halls. The two had already passed into Loki's section of the palace. Very few people ever ventured there, so it was always quiet. When Cara finally stopped, they were at another set of large doors. There were large pillars on the outside of each door, each with a snake carved into it, wrapping around it. Cara pushed open the doors and entered. The room was adorned with green and gold. To one side was the opening for a large balcony. The other side had a door which led to a large wardrobe and wash room. In the middle of the room was a massive four-post bed, adorned with green and black silk.

"Just as I left it then…" Loki sighed.

"Go wash up," Cara ordered, "You look awful."

Loki shrugged apathetically, but was truthfully happy to comply. He just wanted to erase any trace of that dungeon forever.

Loki reappeared sometime later. He now wore a much cleaner outfit and was far more presentable. Some of the color had returned to his face. His hair was still a mess, but he didn't bother to fix it. It was good enough for now. Cara sat, curled up, in the large bed. In her lap was a large, worn book. She contently read and passed the time away. Loki didn't feel quite like disturbing her reading, so he simply spent time out on the large, attached balcony.

It wasn't long before the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Loki wandered back inside, but when he got there Cara was heading for the door.

"Get some rest," she said, before slipping through one of the large doors.

The door closed with a soft thud, and she was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

So, this update was started forever ago, but I didn't have a chance to finish ot or post it. Sorry for the delay. Please read and review. Thanks!

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Loki woke the next morning to find himself back in his room in Asgard. He had half expected to awaken in a dark cell, as he had so many times before. He shifted slightly, but as soon as he did he noticed something. There was an arm gently wrapped around his waist. He looked over his shoulder to see Cara curled up behind him, fast asleep. He smiled slightly to himself, but caught the gesture and it quickly faded into the apathetic look that he usually wore. He simply laid back down and ignored his wife's presence.

When he stirred awake again, Cara was long gone. He noticed that her form now stood silently on the balcony. There was a breakfast set out on a table outside as well. The food was untouched which was normal. Cara often had no appetite in the morning.

"Why did you come back?" Cara heard from behind her.

"What do you mean?" Cara asked, not bothering to look at the owner of the voice.

"You came back last night. Why?"

"I have a right to live in my own home, do I not?" Cara questioned.

"Well...yes, but-"

"So I will continue to do so," Cara said sharply, "Now go and eat."

Loki let out what almost sounded like a sharp laugh.

"Look at you," he observed mockingly, "You've grown so cold...so bitter."

"Well, it's obvious then," she stated, "I learned from the best."

For reasons unknown to him, the unexpected comeback wounded the trickster to his core. A look of pain and confusion appeared on his face, despite his efforts to hide it. Cara still faced outward into the sky, so the emotion went unnoticed.

"So this is what has become of my bride," he noted, his voice cracking as he attempted to form the words.

"At first I was angry," Cara began, "I blamed myself for what happened. Everyday I wondered what it was I had done wrong. Everyday I have wanted to fix everything. And everyday my heart broke all over again at the thought that I wasn't enough. Maybe if I would have been a better wife...a better friend..."

Loki attempted to speak, but his tongue failed him.

"Then it occurred to me," she continued, "Perhaps it wasn't something I did after all. All of the pain and destruction was you and you alone. My anger turned a new direction. For what felt like ages I thought that I hated you. Then you came back. I used every bit of will that I had, but I simply cannot hate you. Why is that?"

"I've been wondering that for days? What makes you think I have your answer."

"Did you ever think of me? Even once? Did it ever even occur to you that I would be different from the others? I never stopped loving you. It doesn't matter to me what you are, Loki. I still love you."

A cold silence filled the balcony and asted for what felt like ages. After some time, the silence was finally broken.

"I missed you..." Cara choked out, a few solitary tears streaming down her face.

Loki's angry facade shattered at the sound of her broken voice. He sank down onto his knees, not daring to look up at his wife.

When Cara cautiously walked closer, Loki reached out to her, bunched his fists into the fabric of her dress, and buried his face into her waist. He cried out a question that, while muffled by the fabric, could still be heard.

"What have I done?!"


End file.
